4/1 - Civil Rights Movement

African Americans served in WW2

saw cities in Europe that had no segregation, so it motivated them when returning to the US

USSR - Cold War

USSR question why people would support the US because of their segregation; took a neutral stance — find allies with African and Asian countries

1954 Brown v. Board of Education

outlawed segregation in schools — saw it was separate but not equal

1955 Montgomery bus boycott

sparked by Rosa Parks; protest against racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama

1957 Southern Christian Leadership Council

African-American civil rights organization; MLK Jr. was the president

Greensboro sit ins

series of nonviolent protests led by students

1961 Freedom Rides

desegregation of transportation

1963 March on Birmingham

MLK Jr. and many other leaders participated, leading to their arrest

result of March on Birmingham

letter from Christian/Jewish leaders to MLK Jr. —> he wrote back with “Letters from a Birmingham Jail”

Children’s Crusade

children were hearing messages about civil rights from the church which motivated them to protest nonviolently as well

Civil Rights Act of 1964

outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin

Voting Rights Act of 1965

prohibits racial discrimination in voting — enabled African American men to vote